The Lethal Weapon franchise may return to the big screen for its fifth installment, but the small screen has already unofficially tackled the fourth sequel to the original 1987 film thanks to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The long-running comedy produced its own version of Lethal Weapon 5 way back in its sixth season in 2010. While it's probably a safe bet that the fifth film in the franchise will be very different from Dennis and Mac's version on Always Sunny, the show had the best reaction to the news:
Way to copy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia almost a decade later, Lethal Weapon! Sure, the movie is reportedly bringing back original film stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, but will the fifth movie be as... well, unique as what Always Sunny did with Glenn Howerton and Rob McElhenney in the show's versions of Lethal Weapon 5 and Lethal Weapon 6?
In all seriousness, the Gang's take on Lethal Weapon 5 is probably one of the most beloved bits from the show, perhaps behind only Charlie's "The Nightman Cometh" musical. The show, which completed its fourteenth season back in November 2019, surprisingly got away with something pretty shocking: Rob McElhenney wearing blackface as Mac to play Danny Glover's Roger Murtaugh.
The show was very clear that this version of Lethal Weapon 5 and Mac going blackface for the role were both ridiculous rather than played straight, and Always Sunny is hardly the only project to feature a major character wearing blackface to go for laughs, but it was still a bold move, not to mention bringing Dee into the fold for Always Sunny's version of Lethal Weapon 6 in 2013's Season 9.
Always Sunny isn't the only official account to weigh in on the news of a Lethal Weapon 5 movie potentially actually happening. FX, which aired Always Sunny until it switched to FXX in 2013, shared a response:
FX isn't wrong about the abundance of remakes on the big screen (with some more successful than others), but I'm not sure everybody will consider Lethal Weapon 5 a straight remake even though Always Sunny produced its own take. That said, if the movie centers on a case of tainted tap water, the Always Sunny team might have a justified bone to pick with the movie.
Interestingly, the original Lethal Weapon was remade for the small screen, although with significant changes, for a Fox TV show starring Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans as Riggs and Murtaugh. Always Sunny creator and star Rob McElhenney also weighed in on the Lethal Weapon 5 film news:
Will the reports that the film franchise is producing another installment motivate Rob McElhenney (whose Chase Utley dreams finally came true last summer) and the Always Sunny team to produce Lethal Weapon 6? Well, it depends entirely on the future of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Season 14 wrapped in November 2019, and there have been no official updates about Season 15.
Roh McElhenney and Charlie Day joined forces for an entirely new Apple TV+ show, although McElhenney did take to Twitter to promise the show will "will in no way affect Sunny."
For now, fans can just hope that news of a Season 15 renewal (perhaps with Lethal Weapon 7) comes sooner rather than later. For now, you can catch the first 13 seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia streaming on Hulu, along with plenty of other upcoming viewing options.
